Robert Indiana

Too easily pigeonholed as a pop artist, painter/sculptor/printmaker Indiana transforms the word, the numeral, the graphic sign into images that flash instantaneous messages about our isolation, fears and longings. Most often associated with his ``LOVE'' postage stamp and the enigmatic aluminum sculptures related to it, the Hoosier-born artist masks his deadly serious intent behind a flippant irony. Described as the first monograph on Indiana, this bountifully illustrated survey ranges from the early wooden columns (``herms'') with words inscribed on them to the colorful, knife-sharp silhouettes he created for the set of the Virgil Thomson-Gertrude Stein opera The Mother of Us All. Weinhardt, a former museum curator, brilliantly demonstrates how this seemingly aloof art touches our lives. One major caveat: the text is set entirely in capital letters, making reading difficult. (Nov.)